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Preserving and Protecting
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: August - 2022
The leafy treasures at Southern Highlands Reserve are meant to be cherished for the ages.
Walking through the wooded mountain garden atSouthern Highlands Reserve brings back childhoodmemories of freedom, exploration, delight andsurprise. It’s peaceful there in a way few places are anymore,and the ancient heartbeat of the land will reverberate with yourown. This hidden gem at the top of Toxaway Mountain hasquietly been doing the work of preservation and restoration for20 years.The main goal of the Reserve, a nonprofit native plant gardenand research center, is to sustain the natural ecosystems of theBlue Ridge Mountains through the preservation, cultivationand display of plants native to the region. Accessible currentlyby reservation only, the Reserve is at an elevation of 4,500 feetand sustains a large and diverse collection of native SouthernAppalachian plants and their cultivars — many of whichstruggle to survive elsewhere.For these reasons, the Reserve’s founders, Betty and RobertBalentine, decided two decades ago to make certain that nodevelopment would disturb the ecosystem, and that the landwould, instead, be a place of regeneration – both figurativelyand literally.Executive Director Kelly Holdbrooks says, “Not only is it abeautiful place to reconnect with nature, but also it’s one ofthe best gardens in America, and partnerships and restorationare very important to us.” In fact, the Reserve has kicked offa capital campaign to fund a state-of-the-art greenhouse. Inorder to meet goals set with partners that include the U.S.Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy, the Reserve willincrease production of red spruce trees to 50,000 from 10,000.Holdbrooks will also take part in the ceremonial lighting of theCapitol Christmas Tree — a red spruce from North Carolina —in Washington, D.C., this year.“Red spruce forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains arethe second most endangered ecosystem in the United States,”says Holdbrooks. “In our greenhouses, we grow seeds tosaplings to young trees that we plant on public lands in EasternTennessee, Western North Carolina, and Virginia. We have a 90percent success rate in propagation and planting.”Visit southernhighlandsreserve.org to tour or supportthe Reserve.
by Deena Bouknight
